Large parts of England remain on high flood alert, with problems continuing in north Wales around the badly damaged city of St Asaph, and homes and businesses at risk along the river Nene in Peterborough and parts of Northamptonshire.

Environment Agency staff are also keeping a close watch on the Thames downstream from Oxford and the whole of the river Severn as water streams from saturated fields and high grounds along tributaries.

The river Ouse in York peaked at 4.56 metres above normal levels, while the river Derwent at Malton and Norton rose 4.96 metres and forced the closure of the twin towns' main bridge. Firefighters in North Yorkshire borrowed a high-volume pump from their West Yorkshire colleagues to add to the six already keeping a mixture of river water and sewage away from homes.

The Environment Agency has 167 warnings and 177 lower-category flood alerts in place, the majority in the Midlands, followed by the north-east, south-west, south-east and Anglian areas, with only the north-west escaping lightly. There are two severe flood warnings in north Wales, one of them at St Asaph where the river Elwy burst its banks on Tuesday and sent a torrent through 500 homes.

North Wales police said an inquest had been opened and adjourned on the death of an elderly woman whose body was found in her flooded house by officers conducting a house-to-house search of affected properties in St Asaph. The local leisure centre is temporarily housing about 150 people who had to leave their homes, and few of the city's 3,400 people have not been affected.

St Asaph was accorded city status by the Queen to mark her diamond jubilee on account of its historic status. After months of celebration, the shock of the flood has left many people feeling down, according to 31-year-old Heidi Chaplin at the centre. She said: "Seven feet of water came in at some places and people were boat-lifted out of their windows with babies crying. It was terrible for them, really sad."

Another of the four victims of the flooding was named as John McNair, 77, whose 4x4 was submerged after getting wedged under a bridge in Somerset. A former chair of East Lewisham Conservative association in London and with 10 grandchildren, he died on his way home to his farm in Painscastle, Powys, after visiting his son in the village of Chew Stoke.

The Environment Agency listed Gloucester, Salisbury, Oxford, Sunbury, Abingdon and York as places still likely to suffer some damage to property. Mobile flood defences have been deployed at Shrewsbury and Bewdley on the Severn.

The weather is expected to bring respite but colder temperatures until Sunday, when a further band of heavy rain may move in from the Atlantic, preceded by some snow.